BALTIMORE, MD—Ten years ago, a group of ten Port of Baltimore employees decided to start a Lottery Club. Since then, the group has contributed $20 a week toward the purchase of jackpot game tickets, including Mega Millions. Their dedication paid off with a $30,000 win in the Friday, September 15 drawing.

The club sent a spokesperson to Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim the $30,000 prize. The lucky winner said he was out of town when he got the good news about their big win.

“My phone kept ringing and ringing,” said the Baltimore City resident. “When I finally answered, they were saying to check the ticket, because we won.”

According to the club’s spokesperson, the person who buys the ticket takes a picture of it and texts the photo to everyone in the group. He had yet to check his photo of the $15 quick-pick ticket when he got the phone call, but when he did, the win was revealed. The group matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball for a third-tier $10,000 win. They had added the Megaplier feature to the winning ticket, which multiplied the prize by three and increased the win to $30,000.

“Our club rules are to have one person claim the prize and then split the amount with the group,” said the spokesperson. Each member will receive $3,000 before taxes.

The Port of Baltimore Lottery Club found its lucky ticket at Bottle & Cork Liquors located at 6867 Loch Raven Boulevard in Towson. No one has hit the Mega Millions jackpot, which rolled to an estimated annuity of $205 million for the Friday, September 22 drawing.